Compromise tabled on illegals' licenses

Committee voted along party lines to kill the bill

Updated: Thursday, 10 Feb 2011, 7:43 PM MST
Published : Thursday, 10 Feb 2011, 5:21 PM MST

Reporter: Katie Kim

SANTA FE (KRQE) - The House Labor and Human Resources Committee voted 5-4, along party lines, late Thursday afternoon to table House Bill 261 that would issue illegal immigrants a driving permit instead of a license.

Rep. Bill Rehm , R-Albuquerque, who sponsored the bill, said it was a "common ground" proposal between several members of the Legislature and Gov. Susana Martinez.

Martinez repeatedly said throughout her campaign that she wanted to stop the practice of issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

"I'm trying to find a compromise that will work," said Rehm.

If his bill passed, it would have required illegal immigrants to trade in their licenses for permits between July 1 Dec. 31. After that, Rehm said all licenses would have been revoked. He said the permits would have to be renewed annually instead of once every eight years as is standard for a normal license.

"Many of them are transient, and I don't want to have licenses that are being used in other states," said Rehm.

The special permits would indicate that an individual was an illegal immigrant and could not be used as a form of identification.

"A lot of individuals have come to New Mexico to get a driver's license, and then left to go ahead and use that driver's license to open bank accounts and board aircraft,"said Rehm.

But those opposed to the bill said it was a form of discrimination.

"Many have lived here for a number of years," said Rep. Eleanor Chavez , D-Albuquerque. "They've contributed to New Mexico's economy and so really doing this isn't fair."

Even the governor said she isn't a fan of compromising the issue .

"I'm not concerned about what's popular with the Legislature," Martinez said. "What's most important is what's popular with the public. And more than 80 percent of the public in New Mexico does not want to be issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants."

About 85,000 foreign nationals have New Mexico driver's licenses, but not all of them are in the country illegally.

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